No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them. They have released two albums in 6 years. That seems fine, ok for a new band, but consider one that releases an album every 2 years on schedual.

I listened to one of their albums constantly for one month, and now whenever I hear some crap relating to them I get sick. Why the fuck is "How to Save a Life" so popular? What makes it so? Is it about abandonment? Alot of their songs are about that. Is it about... eh?

No. Listen. They are not good. I got rid of them after a month of taking up space on my iPod. All of their songs are the same. Not literally, but they are in approximately the same tune, are about the same thing, and seem to bitch about "Oh, waah, my life sucks, waah, it's not my fault."

Listen, they suck because they're famous off of ONE song. Breaking Benjamin is not as famous, but they have double the variety for the same cost as both of the Fray albums. Breaking Benjamin is good. They have some whiny songs, but their musical variety is beautiful. "Shallow Bay"/ "Medicate" can be followed by "Diary of Jane"/"Rain" perfectly. After about 16 songs, the Fray has finished the concert.

I don't want you blindly defending a group because you like them. Don't just say "You're wrong". Tell me why I'm wrong. Tell me, and I can misprove it. I've had it with these motherfucking Fray on these motherfucking iPods.

I agree dude, The Fray blows. That fucking song you mention gets played where I work (a big chain retail store) so you *know* that's a shitty band.

What pisses me off is blowing off what a teacher says to listen to that one song. I've seen it happening tothe guy next to me, but he got yelled at for asking a death-metal head if he had the Fray on his iPod.

Can't stand Fray. When I worked for NEXCOM they played "how to Save a Life" six times every shift. They're terrible.
However that's not the source of my deep seeded hatred. (When I first started listening to Cradle of Filth I listened to their album "Damnation and a Day" atleast twice a day for a good year. So, it's not repetition)

Fray is a failure band. They are much like Cold, where as Fray is whiney about how much life blows, Cold is atleast angry and progressive about it. Fray has produced 2 albums in a six year period that I know of. They're uncreative, shallow, and repetitive. There is a word for that...Lame.

People like it because they have different opinions to you. Just because you think they're crap doesn't mean it's a fact. Levels of quality are objective, it varies from person to person. Some people think the Nazis were good. Some people think racial equality is bad. Ok, granted, those two are the same group (and they deserve a slap), and it's a pretty extreme comparison, but the point remains; the majority decides what happens in the world, and if they want to hear the Fray, they will, and there is nothing you, or anyone else, can do about it short of killing everyone who doesn't agree with you, putting you in with the Nazis.

PS: I didn't mean to sound so agressive when I typed that out, but bugger it, I can't be bothered to go back and change it.

fray is really terrible
no talent

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

However, I'm not defending The Fray here, since "How To Save A Life" is the only song I have on my iPod, and I don't even listen to it very often anymore. However, I will defend the song by saying that is has a very low-key, borderline soothing melody that steadily picks up in pace and tone. It's a tried and true form that has worked wonders for rock ballads and it usually works. It's a ballad about losing someone close to you and if that doesn't appeal to your tastes, then tough cookies. Go find another song to listen to.

However much they suck, they make more money than you.

and they really suck, so does it hurt you?

that aside, i would ask if it is more effective to question why a band is popular, or what makes it more popular than the competition? (other potential bands)

if we understand that, perhaps we can understand them, and those who like them.

I seem to remember an Economist article about the major music labels putting the songs they're looking at into some program that can almost 100% accurately predict if the song will be popular. Don't as me how but that's what I remember.

Meado:
People like it because they have different opinions to you. Just because you think they're crap doesn't mean it's a fact. Levels of quality are objective, it varies from person to person. Some people think the Nazis were good. Some people think racial equality is bad. Ok, granted, those two are the same group (and they deserve a slap), and it's a pretty extreme comparison, but the point remains; the majority decides what happens in the world, and if they want to hear the Fray, they will, and there is nothing you, or anyone else, can do about it short of killing everyone who doesn't agree with you, putting you in with the Nazis.

PS: I didn't mean to sound so agressive when I typed that out, but bugger it, I can't be bothered to go back and change it.

Ah, but in the case of music, it's not a case of the majority wanting to hear The Fray, it's the big music publishers using their muscle to get The Fray played on every radio station, 10 times a day. If The Fray disappeared from the face of the planet, I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid.

I saw them live at V last year, and my god, they were terrible. The worst live band I have ever seen. The singer's voice was off-key, the drums sounded terrible, you couldn't hear the bass... I felt like gouging my ears off, but instead I went and watched the Fratellis. Not my favourite band, but after what had just happened, I'd have listened to the Pop Idol rejects with a smile on my face.

Oh, and while music is "subjective" (the correct term), it doesn't mean you can't differentiate between the good and the shite. The Fray are a band of little artistic quality, designed by record companies to sell albums. Their songs are written specifically to get airplay. Making money is their game.

Oh, and I call Godwin.

x434343:
Why the fuck is "How to Save a Life" so popular? What makes it so? Is it about abandonment? Alot of their songs are about that. Is it about... eh?

One of the factors is that particular song got played in 'poignant moments' in various medical shows. You know what people are like. They hear something that suits the mood and it makes it great.

j-e-f-f-e-r-s:

I saw them live at V last year, and my god, they were terrible. The worst live band I have ever seen. The singer's voice was off-key, the drums sounded terrible, you couldn't hear the bass...

Could that have just been the festival sound setup though? rather than the band

Is that the song where the guy just whines into a mic for three or four minutes and wears a tee-shirt and jeans in the video and now his album has gone platinum?

What do you mean that's all music now?

- J

I strongly dislike the Fray. I generally don't like that type of music though. It's too boring and produced. I like sincerity and talent with my music.

Listen to old stuff instead.Queen,Led Zeppelin,ACDC and Nirvana ftw.

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*
So then the Fray. What can i say other than crap, well: Really crap, really really crap, really really really crap. ect.

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*

Huh? I don't get it. Explain this to me.

Every band you like sucks and only the bands I like are good.

Joeshie:
Every band you like sucks and only the bands I like are good.

The general sum of every single argument on matters of personal preference...minus the name-calling.

My mum LOVES "How To Save A Life" and it's her second favourite song on SingStar (After "I Want You To Want Me"), so I, unfortunately, was forced to listen to and learn the lyrics to it or face matriarchal pwnage.

TobyMobias:
My mum LOVES "How To Save A Life" and it's her second favourite song on SingStar (After "I Want You To Want Me"), so I, unfortunately, was forced to listen to and learn the lyrics to it or face matriarchal pwnage.

LMAO "matriarchal pwnage" has to be the coolest phrase I've ever heard

j-e-f-f-e-r-s:

I saw them live at V last year, and my god, they were terrible. The worst live band I have ever seen. The singer's voice was off-key, the drums sounded terrible, you couldn't hear the bass... I felt like gouging my ears off, but instead I went and watched the Fratellis. Not my favourite band, but after what had just happened, I'd have listened to the Pop Idol rejects with a smile on my face.

believe it or not i've seen a worse band live, well a few.

first and foremost is the fat guy with an ed grimley hair spike, eyeliner and sequene shirt, i'm not joking, he basically did spoken word but sung the last word of each line, ok tried to he would just try to hit a note

second is garbage, they are ok on cd but that's because they have 189734091847031284701 tracks per song, they will pick and choose notes from different takes for some songs

there were a couple more that we basically talked over and were happy they got off the stage, i've ridiculed a lot of bands on stage

i sadly missed the fat guy at the ministry show on sat, friend told me about him. he would try and play bass and miserably fail at singing, also he'd tell the crowd to show their horns like 5 times in a song. dude was outside hawking his cds, asked my buddy if he wanted one and he replied "well if you learned to play and got some talent then maybe i would consider buying your cd"

as for the fray, they suck, sorry to say, i tried to block their suck and now i'm scared again

Russian Redneck:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*

Huh? I don't get it. Explain this to me.

its the sound on the drums when someone makes a joke.

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*

Huh? I don't get it. Explain this to me.

its the sound on the drums when someone makes a joke.

As in buh dum tish. Didn't get it at first either (Drums that make a 'da' sound? wtf)

cleverlymadeup:

second is garbage, they are ok on cd but that's because they have 189734091847031284701 tracks per song, they will pick and choose notes from different takes for some songs

:D hey come on lay of garbage :P

I HAVE TO LISTEN TO THAT F@#$ING SONG EVERY F@#%ING DAY ON THE BUS!!!!

I don't think I've heard it. If they're like any other band that's played on the radio, all they do is whine about something or other.

pigeon_of_doom:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*

Huh? I don't get it. Explain this to me.

its the sound on the drums when someone makes a joke.

As in buh dum tish. Didn't get it at first either (Drums that make a 'da' sound? wtf)

Have you never heard the soviet kettle drum?

nightfish:

:D hey come on lay of garbage :P

they take over produced to a new lvl, great studio band, bad live band because of the over production

nilcypher:

pigeon_of_doom:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

conqueror Kenny:

Russian Redneck:

x434343:
No. Stop. Do not blindly defend the band the Fray just because you like them.

That's usually why people defend their favorite bands, myself included. :/

*da da tsh*

Huh? I don't get it. Explain this to me.

its the sound on the drums when someone makes a joke.

As in buh dum tish. Didn't get it at first either (Drums that make a 'da' sound? wtf)

Have you never heard the soviet kettle drum?

da da tsh is a snare, buh dum bum could be a tom tom or something like that.

I agree that their music suck, and they should no way have as much popularity as they have received; just be grateful that they're a one-hit wonder and any other tracks that do become popular will probably be better than HTSAL

Also, dont blame the band, what they're doing they think is good, and have been told it's good by producers...blame the producers :P

I got nothing against the fray.. How to save a life is a pretty cool song

Well, it's just that 'How to Save a Life' is just another of those really big hits that has everyone raving about it for a while... like Nickleback's 'Rockstar', or 'Who let the Dogs Out?' or whatever...

... I guess this is a bad time to ask, "Who?"

zen5887:
I got nothing against the fray.. How to save a life is a pretty cool song

Why do you think that?

I think you're right about how their songs are all the same. Repetition can kill more albums faster than rifle practice.

I still like the Cable Car song, though, just because it's catchy, and I'm a fan of the "piano rock" genre. In the end, however, I refuse to buy their CD or waste bandwidth downloading it (since I don't buy anything these days) for all the points you said.

edit:
How to Save a Life is probably only popular because it's bloody everywhere. TV, Movies, Every Bloody Possible Radio Station, Your mom. Every media outlet has that song somewhere in its arsenal, and there's enough menopausal women and prepubescent teens who adore it to keep it going.